Empathy
by Aurora-cs
Summary: The Doctor can understand why Rose did what she did in 'Father's Day', because he almost did the same thing many years before. 9th Doctor and Rose.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who, that belongs to the BBC.  
**Authors note: **I'm all caught up on the new series (except the second and third episodes that I missed), and got this idea after watching 'Father's Day' last night.  
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**Empathy  
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"Thanks..." Rose murmured gently as they entered the TARDIS, and the Doctor moved to the console to set their next course "I mean...I really screwed up, and I won't blame you if you just want to dump me back in my living room and..." 

The Doctor moved too fast for her to see, and placed a finger against her lips.

"Don't say it" he said in a firm voice "You're not Adam, that bloody twit just wanted to help himself, you wanted to help your dad - you cared" he took his hand away, and smiled "So no beating yourself up, got it?"

"Yeah..." Rose smiled and hugged him, then drew away sharply as she felt something damp and sticky "What the..." she looked at her hands.

They were stained bright red.

She looked up at the Doctor "You're bleeding?"

"Yep" he nodded, and started to walk away, but Rose pulled him back.

"...and back at the Church...when you told me to run, were you bleeding then?" she asked angrily.

"You wouldn't have gone otherwise" the Doctor admonished, then swallowed, feeling a little light-headed.

Rose noticed "Come on, where's that medical bay?"

"Third floor..." the Doctor murmured "Let me sit down for a sec..."

"No way, or you'll never get up" Rose put an arm around him as they made their way through the maze that was the TARDIS. Finally they found it, making Rose relieved since more and more of the Doctor's weight was being supported by her.

She sat him on the bed and ordered him to take off the jacket, which prompted a wry grin through a face contorted with barely suppressed pain. She winced at the blood soaking the shirt underneath, and gingerly helped him remove it, covering her mouth at the livid, open scratches on his back.

"How did this happen..." she breathed, reaching for the pain blocker he pointed out.

"Those creatures..." the Doctor explained, then sighed as a warm sensation prompted by the analgesics did their work, and did as Rose ordered, rolling onto his front.

"But you said anything that happened would be erased..." Rose trailed off, reaching for the tissue regenerator, switching it on and running it over his back and watched the wounds begin to heal.

"You remember" the Doctor said simply "I remember, and we weren't a part of that point in time anyway, so we retain the memories" he hissed at a slight movement "and the pain"

Rose swallowed, feeling ill "So that creature, when it..."

"Devoured me?" the Doctor said so matter-of-factly that she just nodded numbly "I remember it, but because time was fixed, I got away lucky"

"I don't call that lucky..." Rose swallowed.

He turned onto his back, feeling only a burning sensation that was uncomfortable rather than painful, and looked at Rose who was crying softly "I don't blame you - if anything, it's my fault for taking you back in the first place, I should have known what a temptation it would be..." he trailed off "I came close to making the same mistake..."

Rose sniffed and wiped away her tears "h...how?"

"I can't go back to warn Gallifrey, because the time war erased it from the whole of time, but I escaped because I was out of space-time, and so does anything that happened" The Doctor sighed "I went back to a point in time during every regeneration, and watched...thinking how, even if I could tell them...that it wouldn't matter"

He swallowed roughly.

"...I couldn't help, even if I wanted to"

He felt a pair of arms hold him, and leant into them, not caring what he looked like, but that right now, she could understand something that no other person could.

Rose held him close, tears running down her face. Then she felt his body start to sag against her as the pain blockers helped send him into a peaceful slumber. She pulled herself away slowly and lowered him down. Then she pulled up a chair and sat in it, studying his relaxed, sleeping face.

They were both healing, but they could do it together.

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I have this idea about the Doctor's previous regenerations - that all his past selves exist (and therefore so do all the old episodes grins), but that Gallifrey was erased from all of time, so he can't go back even if he wanted to. 

Any events in his previous regenerations happened in a 'time-bubble'/time echoes kind of thing, and any time lords that he encounter only exist when they encounter him, and immediately afterwards they disappear - kind of like that car in 'Father's Day' that just kept going around and around in a loop.

Of course, my theory is kind of shot considering the Doctor did go to Gallifrey in at least one of his previous regenerations - but does my idea work anyway do you think? Enjoy the fic in any case.


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